Review | Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

Marianne Daventry is incredibly lonely and dislikes the confines of the city. When an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance to depart Bath. Thinking she’ll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry.

On her way to Edenbrooke, Marianne’s carriage is attacked by a highwayman and her driver is shot. In her attempts to find help for the injured driver, she comes into contact with a man who seems rude and so full of himself, that she refuses to acknowledge him as a gentleman. But, it’s not until she spends some time with the man and learns his true identity, that the real adventure and drama begins.

The best word I can think of to describe Edenbrooke is delightful. I listened to it in one day and there were many parts that made me laugh out loud. Though a little naive, Marianne is a very likable character, and I was completely swooning over Phillip. This book is reminiscent of Jane Austen’s romance novels. Though it’s not as well executed as Austen is, I liked it very much. There were a few things about the book I that I didn’t love, but overall, I liked the story so much I was able to be forgiving and overlook the few things I didn’t like about it.

I didn’t love the audio version of this book. The voice of the reader sounded too much like Julie Andrews and I kept picturing an older woman as Marianne’s character. So I’d definitely suggest reading, rather than listening to the book.

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Overall Rating:

Parent’s guide:

• Sex: some kissing
• Violence: a carriage is attacked by a highwayman, a person is shot, a person is abducted and threatened with a gun
• Language: none

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